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Since being left out of the ODI side last year, he warmed the bench for three Tests in SA and four in England, but didn’t wait to perform as soon as he returned to the 50-overs game

Shashank Kishore in Dubai21-Sep-20181:44

Dasgupta: Jadeja a ‘good headache’ for India

Much before he formally marked his ODI return after more than a year, Ravindra Jadeja was the first to enter the field before play on Friday. He walked up to the pitch, measured his run-up, bowled three imaginary balls, fielded a drive off his own bowling, fired an imaginary throw, looked back and even belted an imaginary appeal. Then he high-fived his team-mates, shared pleasantries with VVS Laxman, engaged in an animated discussion with L Sivaramakrishnan, and then joined the huddle. These were signs of clear delight that he was back, even though he exuded the body language of someone who never left.Only a week ago, Jadeja was in Jamnagar, tending to his two horses, spending time at Rann of Kutch – a barren desert of white sand – to promote Gujarat tourism. He lent finishing touches to his farmhouse titled ‘RJ’, spent time at his restaurant in Rajkot and trained for two days with his Saurashtra team at their pre-season camp in Delhi before the Vijay Hazare Trophy, India’s domestic 50-over competition.On Thursday morning, he was to prepare for Saurashtra’s match against Delhi at Feroz Shah Kotla. Instead, he was asked to board a flight to Dubai for the Asia Cup. He was to replace Axar Patel, who had injured his finger at training. Incidentally, Jadeja had replaced Axar last year too, during the home ODIs against Australia, after initially being told “he was rested.” At the time, Axar had picked up a freak injury while playing football, but Jadeja couldn’t break into the XI, and found himself out of the squad after the series.Time away from the ODI squad was spent soaking in life. He’s now a father, runs businesses in Rajkot, has become a training freak. He also likes to experiment with his facial hair, hairstyles and outfits. What he doesn’t like to experiment with, though, are his bowling methods that have yielded 368 international wickets.He bowls flat, fast and doesn’t give the batsmen any time between deliveries, bowling like a timed machine which is programmed to finish an over in 35 seconds. It’s this no-frills variety of left-arm spin that earned him four wickets upon returning to the side for the first time since the tour of the West Indies in July last year.Jadeja picked four wickets in five matches at an average of 62.25, while conceding 5.92 runs per over at last year’s Champions Trophy. In the West Indies series that followed, he couldn’t pick a wicket in two ODIs. The selectors then left him out, but insisted he was still part of their plans along with R Ashwin. But, when Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav turned into a formidable bowling partnership, Jadeja was jettisoned.Jadeja may have been hurt, but it didn’t show. He was still picking wickets at home in Tests, toured South Africa where he couldn’t get a game, featured in the IPL, played Afghanistan’s inaugural Test and warmed the bench for four Tests in England before returning to salvage a floundering first-innings in the fifth with 86 not out at The Oval. He also picked seven wickets. And so while he was away for a year from the ODI set-up, he was always on the periphery, waiting to jump in at the first available opportunity.Ravindra Jadeja appeals•Associated PressPrior to Friday, Jadeja, incidentally, had last picked an ODI wicket against Bangladesh at the Champions Trophy. That was of Shakib Al Hasan, and he dismissed Shakib again in his very first over on return, brought about by a superb on-field partnership between him, MS Dhoni and captain Rohit Sharma.Jadeja had just been swept by Shakib for a boundary behind square off a full and flat delivery. As Jadeja was about to run in for the next ball, Dhoni stopped him, chatted with Rohit, and Shikhar Dhawan was swiftly moved from midwicket to square leg. Jadeja nodded and slowed it down outside off, allowing the ball to grip and spin in from a length. Shakib wanted to clear the vacant midwicket region but was done in by the bounce and ended up dragging it to Dhawan at square leg. The move worked and Jadeja struck in his first over.The Bangladesh batsmen struggled to pick which deliveries were going to turn and those that were going straight. Loose balls were few and far in between. This was aided by swift work inside the ring. Now, the batsmen had to manufacture shots. Mohammad Mithun failed once looking to reverse paddle. Mushfiqur Rahim tried to teach him a lesson in execution, but the pressure of dot balls and a stalled run rate showed, and he spooned a simple catch to short third man. This was a typical Jadeja choke.A slow turning delivery and a full dart had brought him two wickets. Then he turned to bowl in the rough created by Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s footmarks. His biggest threat on turners are those that skid straight through. Some batsmen try to play him off the pitch and are beaten by the fizz. Mithun learnt his lessons the hard way, prodding forward and playing outside the line for turn, only for the ball to fizz through to beat the inside edge and trap him plumb.From overs 16 to 30, Bangladesh scored just one boundary. Jadeja fired in five match-turning overs out of those, that built pressure and led to a downward spiral at the first sign of attack. This was the mastery of a man who has grown up bowling on (flat) wickets in Rajkot, where accuracy is king, where there’s little or no margin for error. ‘Sir’ Jadeja left a mark immediately upon return.

Celtic are all but confirmed Scottish Premiership champions after last weekend’s results, and Brendan Rodgers is already putting in work behind the scenes to bolster his squad for next campaign.

Celtic on the brink of being confirmed as champions

Brendan Rodgers’ changes worked a treat on home soil as Celtic saw off Kilmarnock in style to put the champagne on ice before the split.

Rangers may have clawed their way to an extended reprieve with a draw at Aberdeen the following day. Still, even the most optimistic of their supporters know it is only a matter of time before the Scottish Premiership crown heads to the east end of Glasgow.

Despite the popular misconception that both sides of the divide are competitors on an equal footing, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Should Celtic obtain a point from their first post-split outing, they will have won 13 out of the last 14 available titles by next weekend.

Unsurprisingly, Rodgers is already making strides on the transfer front to build for the new campaign, with Mathias Kvistgaarden on the agenda at Parkhead following his excellent form at Brondby.

Furthermore, the Bhoys are reportedly keen on a surprise move for Newcastle United’s Martin Dubravka. The Slovakia international may be available this summer, potentially creating movement between the sticks despite Viljami Sinisalo and Kasper Schmeichel’s presence at the club.

Ruthless Brendan Rodgers could now get rid of big Celtic names this summer

The Hoops manager isn’t messing around.

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Celtic’s involvement in Champions League qualifiers next term has placed time pressure on new arrivals. Rodgers won’t want any delays as his side look to bed in future contributors.

Now, the Bhoys are believed to have an exciting winger in their sights that could add a new dynamic to his squad once the transfer window opens.

Celtic eye summer move for EFL Championship star

According to The Scottish Sun, Celtic are eyeing a move for Stoke City star Million Manhoef as Rodgers views the Netherlands Under-21 cap as a potential squad signing for next season.

The 23-year-old was brought to the Potters for £3 million last summer, and it is likely that is the most he would cost with his current employers now at threat of relegation to the English third-tier.

Celtic’s depth out wide – do they need another winger?

Jota

Only joined in January, likely to be key going forward.

Nicolas Kuhn

Could be susceptible to departure if interest arises.

Daizen Maeda

May be permanently moved to centre-forward this summer.

James Forrest

Veteran who will see out his career at Celtic.

Hyunjun Yang

Likely to stay at Parkhead after recent improvement.

Luis Palma

On loan at Olympiacos and certain to depart.

Conclusion: Celtic need another winger to maintain adequate squad depth.

Labelled “tricky” by journalist Dean Jones, Manhoef has registered six goals and four assists in 35 appearances this campaign and was a former target for city rivals Rangers. Formerly of Vitesse Arnhem, he has also created 48 chances and completed 48 dribbles on league duty since moving to the bet365 Stadium.

Now, Celtic appear to be firmly in the mix for his signature, which will come as a relief to supporters who are keen to see another body in the wide areas to ensure adequate cover is available.

Parag, after enjoying a breakout IPL season, said his statement exuded belief in himself and not arrogance

PTI29-May-2024Riyan Parag is confident of representing India at some point in the future. The 22-year-old is coming off a superb season with Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2024, where he struck 573 runs at an average of 52.09 and a strike-rate of 149.21.”At some point, you’ll have to take me, right? So that is my belief, I’m going to play for India,” Parag was quoted as saying by . “I don’t really care when. [Even] when I was not scoring runs – I said this in an [earlier] interview as well that I am going to play for India.”That is me believing in myself. That is not me being arrogant. That is what my plan was with my dad [former Railways and Assam player Parag Das], when I started playing cricket when I was like 10-years old. We were going to play for India regardless of anything.”Related

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India will travel to Zimbabwe after their T20 World Cup campaign to play five T20Is, and Parag could be among the players to find a place in the side. His focus, currently, is on getting there.”Whether it’s the next tour, whether it’s a tour in six months, whether it’s a tour in one year… I don’t really put my thought behind when I should play,” Parag said. “That is the selector’s job, that is other people’s job.”Parag came into this IPL after failing to reach 200 runs in any of the five previous seasons. But his promotion from the lower-middle order to No.4, the spot in which he bats for his state, Assam, provided the point of familiarity from where he could lift off.”What you saw this year in the IPL is how I play domestic cricket,” Parag said. “I take the onus up to myself, I take the expectations, I take the burden upon myself to deliver and that is why I play the best.”I was not doing that in the IPL. I was taking way too much pressure, keeping my expectations way too high and not doing the basic things right. That is what I figured I had to do this year; of playing at my favourite position as well, No 4. I was like, okay, ‘I do this at domestic cricket, this is the same thing I’m going to do in IPL and let’s see how it goes’. It worked out perfectly.”I had a lot of rough seasons, more than nice ones and I feel having that constant belief in yourself, that you actually belong in this level, that you can actually do things that you [had] dreamt of, has been a constant and that will stay throughout.”RR won eight out of their first nine games this season but then lost four games in a row and finished their campaign with a loss against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator, one that Parag acknowledges was disappointing.”I’m still dealing with it. I got back home and I was super sad,” he said. “The night after the game, it didn’t really sink in. But then the day after the match and before the final, it was tough.”It’s tough, but then that’s how cricket goes. There are world-class sides that are playing the tournament, world-class players that are playing the tournament [and you can’t always win].”

It’s barely been three months since the end of Sri Lanka’s ill-fated World Cup campaign, but things are already looking up, according to head coach Chris Silverwood, who has been impressed by his side’s showings so far, particularly in the last two ODIs against Afghanistan.Sri Lanka won both games by 42 and 155 runs respectively, with the batters piling on the runs on pitches that have been flatter than the surfaces traditional seen in Sri Lanka. Silverwood, much like Charith Asalanka two days prior, was pleased that SLC had taken his suggestion to curate flatter wickets to heart.”If we just look at 50-over cricket for the moment, our game plan is better suited to good wickets,” Silverwood said on the eve of the third ODI against Afghanistan. “I asked for flat wickets and thankfully I got the support in that from the powers that be.””For how we want to play our cricket, the nature of how we want to play it, then we need good wickets to do that. And to also allow players the opportunity to galvanise that game plan through the fact that you can go out and do it time and time again. Slow, low wickets don’t suit us to do that.”For me the wickets have been excellent here [in Pallekele]. Yes, we’ve seen lots of runs, but that’s what we want. We need to be able to put up those big scores and then we need to be able to defend them.”Related

• Asalanka pitches for batting-friendly tracks in Sri Lanka

• Binura Fernando comes in for injured Chameera for Afghanistan T20Is

• Mujeeb out of SL T20Is due to injury

In terms of defending those big totals, in the first game, despite Sri Lanka piling on a mammoth 381, Afghanistan ran them close only falling at the final hurdle following a spirited chase. In the second game however, with 308 defend, Sri Lanka’s bowlers made life much tougher for Afghanistan, ultimately resulting in a monumental collapse where the visitors lost their final eight wickets for just 25 runs.For Silverwood, this outcome was especially satisfying as it had been a result of the players actively taking on board and implementing the feedback from the coaching staff.”After the first game I thought there was plenty of room for improvement,” Silverwood said. “So we sat the lads down – all of them, not just the bowlers – and we showed them using the Hawk-Eye data what we were talking about. The areas that we bowled, the lengths that we bowled, what was and wasn’t successful, and talked about how we were going to tighten that up. And they did it beautifully in the last game.”Other things that we use is first and sixth ball – can you start your over well and finish your over well? Can you push the pressure back on to the batsman, and make them play the big shot? Rather than giving runs either side of the over. And it’s the job of the next bowler to pick up where they left off. So you’re constantly trying to build that pressure on to the batsman. And I think you saw us do that, particularly in the last game. We saw that with the boundary count coming down.”Sri Lanka’s spin-bowling coach Craig Howard and Wanindu Hasaranga at a training session•AFP/Getty Images

While Wanindu Hasaranga was the pick of the bowlers in the second ODI, grabbing four wickets, another who was particularly impressive was Asitha Fernando. Playing his first ODI in over a year, he returned figures of 2 for 23 in six overs, but those wickets were crucial as they broke the only two significant partnerships of the Afghanistan innings.Silverwood, who has been working closely with the Sri Lankan seamers, was full of praise for Fernando, who up until then had been primarily categorised as a Test bowler.”He certainly put his best foot forward in the last game,” Silverwood said. “The way he turned up on short notice, and the way he performed was fantastic. The skills that he’s got – what he showed us during the Test match – lend themselves very well to one-day cricket as well. The way that he can hit length hard time and time again, the lines that he bowls are very tight, and he’s got a very accurate bouncer.”For me, we need to keep pushing him on, keep working on that slower ball so he has that variation, but as for the basic skillset required to be successful in 50-over white-ball cricket he certainly showed he’s got that in the last game.”Going forward, the plan unsurprisingly is to build towards stability so that Sri Lanka can have a far better showing at the next ODI World Cup in 2027.”We are in that building phase again now, we’re building for that World Cup, and we have to make sure that we put all the building blocks in place,” Silverwood said. “So when we do arrive there we’re in a good place, everybody’s got experience under their belt, everybody knows their roles, and everybody has had success along the way as well so they carry that confidence with them.”

Bangladesh Under-19s, who had beaten India Under-19s in the Asia Cup in December last year, threatened to cause another stir when left-arm seamer Maruf Mridha took five wickets in the Under-19 World Cup in Bloemfontein. Maruf’s strikes kept India to 251 for 7, but Saumy Pandey trumped Maruf with 4 for 24 and bowled his team to victory.Musheer Khan, the younger brother of Sarfaraz Khan, pitched in with two wickets, including that of Mohammad Shihab James, who top-scored for Bangladesh with 54 off 77 balls. The rest of the batters collapsed around James as Bangladesh were bowled out for 167 in 45.5 overs. Musheer also effected a direct-hit to sink Bangladesh. Pandey was the most economical bowler on the day, conceding just 2.44 an over.Earlier in the day, India’s innings was built around half-centuries from opener Adarsh Singh (76 off 96) and captain Uday Saharan (64 off 94). Aravelly Avinash (23 off 17), who was picked by Chennai Super Kings in the IPL 2024 auction, and Sachin Dhas (26 off 20) then gave the innings some late impetus.Shahzaib Khan almost batted through the innings, scoring 106 from 126 balls•ICC via Getty Images

Ubaid Shah, the younger brother of Naseem Shah, and Mohammad Zeeshan, who has been part of Peshawar Zalmi in the PSL, took seven wickets between them to skittle Afghanistan Under-19s for 103 in their chase of 285 in East London.Opener batting Shahzaib Khan had laid the platform for Pakistan Under-19s’ 181-run victory with 106 off 126 balls. His knock contained ten fours and three sixes. He added 92 for the third wicket with Saad Baig, who hit 55 off 52 balls, to set Pakistan up for a big total. Khalil Ahmed was the pick of the bowlers for Afghanistan, returning 4 for 51 in his ten overs.Pakistan’s total looked even bigger when Ubaid and Zeeshan ripped through Afghanistan’s top and middle orders. Wicketkeeper-batter Numan Shah was the only Afghanistan batter to pass 25 in the chase. Amir Hassan and Ahmed Hussain picked up a wicket each as Pakistan bundled Afghanistan out in 26.2 overs.Luc Benkenstein picked up key wickets in the middle overs•ICC via Getty Images

England Under-19s enjoyed a winning start to the Under-19 World Cup, easing past Scotland Under-19s in Potchefstroom.Luc Benkenstein, the son of former South Africa international Dale, sealed the victory with an unbeaten cameo after setting it up for England with a three-wicket haul. Farhan Ahmed, who is the brother of England international Rehan, also bagged a three-wicket haul to help England dismiss Scotland for 174.Captain Ben McKinney then hit 88 off 68 balls to rush his side to victory, with seven wickets and 142 balls to spare. He forged a 106-run partnership for the first wicket with Jaydn Denly, who made 40 off 50 balls.After Scotland were asked to bat first, they never got going and lost wickets in clusters. They didn’t even have a single half-century stand in their entire innings. Owen Gould top-scored for them with 48 off 61 balls, including five fours and a six. The other nine batters scored a combined five boundaries. Harry Armstrong was absent hurt for Scotland.

da pixbet： It was a night of conflicting emotions for Arsenal last night.

da premier bet： Mikel Arteta’s side finally returned to Premier League football after two weeks off for the international break, and while they looked a little rusty, they picked up all three points, winning 2-1.

However, Jurrien Timber and Gabriel Magalhães both came off injured and while the former didn’t look too bad, the latter appeared to be holding his hamstring, which could be terrible news ahead of next week’s Champions League game against Real Madrid.

Furthermore, while they ultimately won, the home side’s performances were mixed. Some players really stepped up, while others looked poor, including one Arteta signing who has to be dropped ahead of the next two games.

Arsenal's stand-out performers vs Fulham

So, before we get to the disappointing player in question, it’s worth looking at those who played well last night; the team did win, after all.

While Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli have received much of the praise following last night, deservedly so, other starters stepped up to the plate, such as Declan Rice.

The former West Ham United captain had a good international break, starting both games for Thomas Tuchel, and carried that form back into the match against Fulham as he was seemingly here, there, and everywhere throughout the 90 minutes.

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Granted, he did miss a chance towards the end of the game, firing well over the bar, but in all, it was a composed and dominant performance, as fans have come to expect, and enough to earn a 7/10 match rating from football.london’s Tom Canton.

Two players who did one better than the Englishman were Timber and Merino who received 8/10 match ratings from the journalist.

Before coming off, the former put in a brilliant showing, getting forward to help out in attack and making several impressive defensive contributions, including a vital tackle on Antonee Robinson in the second half.

Merino scored yet another goal for his efforts, and while it was a little scrappy, he continues to deliver for his manager and teammates.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t all great last night, as there was one Arsenal ace who underwhelmed and once again showed that the club should probably be looking to move him on as soon as possible.

The Arsenal star who must be axed after Fulham

It is a cruel irony that Arteta got Saka back from injury last night and then lost Timber and Gabriel. What makes it worse is that Ben White and Riccardo Calafiori are also injured.

So, with few options, the manager turned to Jakub Kiwior to replace the Brazilian titan.

While he’s shown glimpses of quality in the past, this performance further reinforced the idea that Arsenal need another centre-back in the summer and that, as podcaster Phil Costa claims, he just “isn’t good enough” to regularly feature for the Gunners.

As he was against Fulham earlier in the season, the Polish international looked uneasy at the back, unconvincing on the ball and was a significant step down in quality on the man he replaced and the star he was playing alongside.

It might sound harsh, but it’s an opinion shared by Canton, who awarded him just a 6/10 on the night and laid part of the blame for the Cottagers’ goal at his feet for his ‘tussle’ with the rapid Adama Traore.

Interestingly, his statistics for the game are rather mixed, with the positive being the fact he won four of five ground duels, made five clearances and completed 93% of his passes.

Kiwior’s game in numbers

Minutes

74′

Clearances

5

Tackles

3

Dribbled past

1

Errors Leading to a Shot

1

Aerial Duels (Won)

1 (0)

Ground Duels (Won)

5 (4)

Lost Possession

4

Passing Accuracy

41/44 (93%)

All Stats via Sofascore

However, on the other hand, he lost 100% of his aerial duels, made an error that led directly to a shot and was dribbled past, which, if it happens against Fulham, could be a serious problem against Real next week.

Therefore, if there is any chance that White, Timber, or even Rice can fill in at centre-back in the next two games, Arteta must drop Kiwior from the starting lineup, as he’s just not good enough to start for a team like Arsenal.

Related Better than Saka: 8/10 Arsenal star just dropped his best game in years

Bukayo Saka returned to the Arsenal team as they beat Fulham 2-1.

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Arsenal are now racing to sign an “exciting” £21m player in the summer transfer window, alongside a number of their Premier League rivals, according to a report.

Gunners gearing up for busy summer

As we approach the business end of the Premier League season, it is looking increasingly likely that Mikel Arteta’s side will finish in second place for the third season on the spin, with injury issues doing the manager absolutely no favours.

With that in mind, Arteta has set out to bring in more depth in the summer transfer window, and one position in which he is currently lacking options is striker, with the likes of Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres being targeted to fill the gap.

Bukayo Saka’s absence has also exposed the need to bring in new wide options, and the Gunners are now racing to sign Ademola Lookman, while Bruno Guimaraes and Martin Zubimendi are among the targets in central midfield.

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The Gunners have joined their Premier League rivals in the race for a defender.

ByDominic Lund Mar 25, 2025

One position which may be viewed as less of a priority is goalkeeper, but with Neto set to return to AFC Bournemouth at the end of the campaign, Arteta may be tasked with bringing in a new back-up option between the sticks.

According to a report from Caught Offside, Arsenal are now racing a number of their Premier League rivals for Royal Antwerp goalkeeper Senne Lammens, with the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City and Newcastle United also in the picture.

Lammens has caught the eye this season, given his impressive distribution of the ball and presence in the penalty area, with Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain also placing him on their shortlist.

Amid the widespread interest in the goalkeeper, Antwerp believe they can hold out for a fee of around €20m – €25m (£17m – £21m).

"Exciting" Lammens is one for the future

There is currently little reason to replace David Raya, who is in the prime of his career at 29-years-old, however there are signs the Antwerp goalkeeper could be capable of being a solid long-term replacement.

Freelance scout Ben Mattinson has spoken particularly highly of the Belgian, having been impressed by his ability to stop crosses and distribute the ball.

Football talent scout Jacek Kulig has also described the 6 foot 4 colossus as “exciting”, and that is definitely how you would describe his last-gasp goal for Club Brugge to progress against Real Madrid in the UEFA Youth League.

Signing a new goalkeeper shouldn’t be a priority for Arsenal this summer, given that any new signing is unlikely to displace Raya in the starting XI, but Lammens could definitely be one for the future.

Liverpool swallowed their pride during the 2024 summer transfer window and held off from any knee-jerk reactions.

After nine high-octane, stop-for-nothing years at the helm, Jurgen Klopp had had enough and was replaced by Arne Slot, who only welcomed Federico Chiesa to the first team, signed for just £12.5m and used sparingly, yet to even start in the Premier League.

Liverpool are ahead of schedule and then some, and if Slot and sporting director Richard Hughes can get it right in the market this summer, the Reds could be set for an entertaining series of years.

The frontline does need more balance, lessening Mohamed Salah’s load. Darwin Nunez certainly isn’t living up to his price tag and offering the expected prolific support.

Darwin Nunez's regression under Arne Slot

Nunez has scored four Premier League goals this season. He has missed four big chances. Good, right?

After all, Erling Haaland has missed as many big chances as he’s put away in 2024/25. The difference is he has 20 goals for struggling Manchester City.

This is a stark difference on Nunez’s own barometer. He missed far more big chances across his opening two seasons in the Premier League – 47 were squandered to be specific, only 19 goals scored – though his overall threat and impact was greater too. What’s changed?

Well, forget about the goalscoring metrics for a moment and take a look at Nunez’s underlying data.

Shots total

4.46

4.70

2.59

Shot-creating actions

2.87

3.47

2.09

Touches

33.61

34.16

28.51

Touches (att pen)

8.18

8.44

5.48

Progressive carries

3.24

2.55

1.89

Ball recoveries

2.34

2.46

3.19

Tackles + interceptions

0.74

1.10

1.89

Is it any surprise FSG and Slot are ready to sell Liverpool’s club-record man and move for, as TEAMtalk report, Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak?

Nunez wants to succeed, but is playing like a striker who knows their days are numbered. As the club has shown, they will cash in when they know a talent has reached the end of their road, especially when suitors such as Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr have shown a willingness to pay the big bucks, £70m in the winter window.

After all, they did so with another promising star last summer, and it proved to be an excellent piece of business.

Liverpool hit the jackpot selling Jurgen Klopp signing

Liverpool don’t enjoy the same gripping and thick-plot transfer windows of some of their Premier League rivals, but then they leave their most exciting times for the field.

However, FSG aren’t averse to transfer activity, and while incoming activity was almost negligible last year, the Reds did hit the jackpot with one under-the-radar sale.

Indeed, Fabio Carvalho has long been regarded as a top talent on Merseyside but hasn’t exactly hit the ground running at Brentford this year.

Klopp, to whom Carvalho is an “unbelievable” young forward, signed the then-19-year-old from Fulham for a sharp £5m fee in 2022.

Though the silky attacking midfielder enjoyed a fast start to life at Anfield, notably being compared to Philippe Coutinho, he petered out and was scarcely used across the latter half of the 2022/23 campaign.

A mixed bag on the loan front followed, and while the 22-year-old enjoyed a promising pre-season with Slot’s first team over the pond, when Brentford offered £27.5m for his services last August, cashing in was a no-brainer.

Given that equates to about 450% profit for a player who has failed to nail down a starting berth in Thomas Frank’s squad, Liverpool will hardly rue their decision.

He’s played 19 times, starting three games and scoring twice. That, of course, means Nunez is outscoring him this season, and given the flak the Uruguayan has received, it shows Carvalho’s fortunes haven’t been as he would have hoped in west London.

His quality isn’t up for debate. See the attacking midfielder’s wonder goal for Hull City on loan in the Championship last term (he scored nine goals and added two assists across 20 games).

However, the Portugal-born talent still hasn’t been able to bring it all together at the highest level.

That £27.5m figure is starting to look like an absolute steal.

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da bet7： West Ham United manager Graham Potter has been dealt a blow in regard to Evan Ferguson, with the Hammers also exploring the possibility of signing an intriguing summer replacement for the 20-year-old.

Graham Potter facing early challenges at West Ham

da luck： Potter, who most recently watched his side succumb to a tepid 1-0 defeat at home to Brentford, is facing some early challenges at West Ham.

Related West Ham insider: Potter could now sell £35m player after news from sources

The east Londoners are hatching a plan for the summer.

Posts ByEmilio Galantini Feb 16, 2025

During his spell in the dugout so far, Potter has guided West Ham to just a single victory, which came in a 3-2 home win against Fulham, with defeats coming at the hands of Thomas Frank’s side last weekend, Crystal Palace, Chelsea and Aston Villa in the FA Cup third round.

West Ham’s next five Premier League fixtures

Date

Arsenal (away)

February 22nd

Leicester City (home)

February 27th

Newcastle United (home)

March 10th

Everton (away)

March 15th

Wolves (away)

April 1st

There is plenty of work to do for the tactician as he seeks to fulfil his promise of making the east Londoners an entertaining side to watch, but there have been flashes of promise since he took over from Julen Lopetegui.

Ahead of their trip to the Emirates Stadium this weekend to take on Arsenal, star midfielder Lucas Paqueta has suffered a fresh ankle injury, with the Brazilian withdrawing from training at Rush Green and appearing devastated (Standard Sport).

His potential absence against Mikel Arteta’s title-challengers comes as another issue which Potter must resolve, while uncertainty surrounds the long-term future of striker Ferguson.

West Ham signed the Irishman on a six-month straight loan with no buy-option clause, and until now, it’s remained unclear whether Potter’s side are planning to negotiate a permanent deal for Ferguson past this campaign.

Reports suggest that West Ham have identified Man United striker Rasmus Hojlund as an alternative, with journalist Graeme Bailey now shedding further light on Ferguson’s long-term future at the London Stadium.

West Ham exploring Tammy Abraham deal after Evan Ferguson blow

According to the reporter, writing a piece for The Boot Room, it is believed Potter has been dealt a blow in his hopes of keeping Ferguson – as a permanent move is apparently unlikely to materialise this summer.

In light of this, West Ham are beginning to turn their attention to Roma’s Tammy Abraham – who is currently enjoying a fairly successful loan stint at Serie A rivals AC Milan.

The 27-year-old has scored eight goals and bagged five assists across 33 appearances in all competitions, but he’s said to be keen on making a return to the Premier League and battling his way into Thomas Tuchel’s England squad.

West Ham are exploring the possibility of signing Abraham this summer, as per Bailey, following reports last summer that Roma will demand up to £25 million to sell him outright.

This is not the first time they’ve been tipped to move for the former Chelsea star, with reports as far back as 2021 sharing West Ham’s interest in signing Abraham during his Stamford Bridge days.

Michael Neser could yet bolt into Australia’s World Test Championship squad with Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Marsh facing tight timeframes to be available for the showdown against India.Hazlewood (side) and Marsh (adductor) came home early from the IPL with minor niggles and though both have since returned to bowling, and there remains confidence they’ll be ready for the Ashes, the clash with India at The Oval on June 7 may come too soon.Australia will effectively need to make a call by Sunday (May 28) when their 15-player squad for the final has to be submitted under the ICC rules for the final. Those traveling from outside the UK arrive on Saturday.Related

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Hazlewood is the more significant of the two names and CA said earlier in the week that scans on his return to Australia had shown no damage to the side. However, with six Tests in less than two months there would be a risk of pushing him too soon.”We knew when he went to the IPL that everything would have to go perfectly on the back of the Achilles setback in India and this stage everything is good,” Australia coach Andrew McDonald told . “But it will have to go perfect for him to be part of that World Test Championship final and available.””We feel it’s almost like a home summer. We usually pick four quicks and travel around and add players when we need. We’ve got Michael and Sean [Abbott] over there and feel they can be added in at any time depending on if new information comes to us.”Neser, who picked up his impressive Sheffield Shield form in his county stint with Glamorgan, where he has scored 311 runs and taken 19 wickets, would provide cover for both players although Abbott brings a similar all-round package.Michael Neser currently has two Test caps•Getty Images

Both Neser and Abbott will join the Australia squad when they reach London late next week and begin training following a bonding camp in the northwest of England.Neser’s omission from the original squad was the most debated call, but he and Abbott have had the benefit of playing competitive cricket in recent weeks. McDonald said that Neser’s continued excellence did not surprise him and, perhaps significantly, made mention of his batting returns which have seen him average 38.66 since the start of the last Australia season.”He’s really pressing to be genuine allrounder, probably not a top six allrounder, but definitely a No. 7 or 8,” McDonald said.Overall, however, and particularly with a view to the first Ashes Test on June 16, Australia have fewer injury concerns than England who have lost Jofra Archer, face a nervous wait on James Anderson and are uncertain how much captain Ben Stokes will be able to bowl. They did, however, get a boost with a positive update on Ollie Robinson.”You don’t know how much to read into the information coming out around the injuries, how significant they are, but there is no doubt that they’ll be having more conversations around where their injury list is at than we are,” McDonald said. “It’s always nice when you haven’t got those moving parts and it’s quite settled going in.”

Cameron Green’s format switch

Cameron Green will face increasing demand on his time•BCCI

In terms of allrounders, the key name for Australia remains Cameron Green. He lit up the IPL earlier this week with a maiden T20 century to carry Mumbai Indians into the playoffs which meant his stay at the tournament is extended.McDonald acknowledged the quick turnaround between formats will be a test for Green. He found it tricky last season after the T20 World Cup, although in that case had had precious little batting time, and there were already signs he was adapting when he returned from his injury layoff during the Test series in India.”The thing for me he’s adaptable, he’s a man for all conditions, he’s always engaged in the game whether with bat, ball and in the field…he’s high-end talent and is showing the world what he’s got,” McDonald said. “The challenge for Cam now is as he starts to become a three-format player is how he focuses [on] that, shifts between formats, and he’s going to have another challenge in front of him going deep into the IPL finals to get ready for the World Test Championship match. So that will be a challenge for him, but he’s a fast learner and every hurdle he’s got over so far.”Glancing into the not-too-distant future, managing Green across three formats will become one of McDonald’s key challenges.”We’ve declared our hand with his entry into T20 cricket last year and now what’s done in the IPL would suggest he’s tracking to be a three-format player for us. Then it’s finding the balance within all of that,” he said. “You can’t be everything to everyone and they’ll be some series where he needs to be managed like all the other players when they play three formats. The demand’s going to go up then clearly there’s other leagues that will want access to him at certain times. It’s going to be a bit of a juggling act but he’s got a good head on his shoulders and we’ll be able to work with him.”